Column: R.I.P. Redbirds

By Craig Lackey, Sports Columnist
Sept. 14, 2007

We are gathered here today to pay our respects to a good friend who kept us entertained throughout the long summer months. A friend who has come to the end of a long and difficult struggle that ultimately became too much to bear. It's time to bid farewell to the 2007 St. Louis Cardinals.

It's hard to admit, but the Cardinals are toast. There will be no miracle comebacks this year and no Cinderella story playoff run that will leave an entire baseball nation stunned. All October will bring is an empty Busch Stadium and a town left wondering what happened to its beloved team.

St. Louis has given a valiant effort in overcoming national embarrassment, tragedy and numerous injuries to remain on the cusp of contention within the lackluster National League Central Division. The Cardinals are still only a few games back, but it appears that the injuries and inconsistency plaguing the season have finally caught up with the team. Give credit to manager Tony LaRussa. He tried his best to right a sinking ship, but there were just too many holes to fill.

We all should have seen this coming. The 2006 season was nothing more than a team getting hot at the right moment and riding an excellent pitching staff to a championship. The first leaks in the hull formed in the aftermath of the season when management allowed three-fifths of the starting rotation to flee without acquiring adequate replacements. The team was left with an overworked Chris Carpenter, injured Mark Mulder and many question marks.

Overnight, one of the Cardinals' strengths became their glaring weakness. The 2007 pitching staff has a current ERA of 4.64, which is good for 19th in baseball, while also being in the bottom third in home runs allowed at 22nd and strikeouts at 28th. The starting staff has employed 12 pitchers, including the awful trio of Kip Wells, Anthony Reyes and Mike Maroth, who have a combined record of 8-33. Solid performances by Braden Looper, Adam Wainwright and Jason Isringhausen have been overshadowed by 23 pitchers the Cardinals were forced to use. Anyone remember Randy Keisler?

It's easy to blame the mess on a horrid pitching staff, but the offense is just as bad. The Cardinals have scored only 642 runs, the sixth worst record in baseball, while also ranking near the bottom in hits at 21st and walks at 22nd. St. Louis rarely fielded a healthy lineup, and replacements such as So Taguchi and Ryan Ludwick couldn't provide adequate firepower.

Another key piece of evidence that a championship season turned its back on the Cardinals: bad luck. St. Louis suffered a severe loss of playing time from impact players, including Carpenter, Mulder, Scott Rolen, David Eckstein, Yadier Molina, Jim Edmonds, Juan Encarnacion, Scott Spiezio and, as of this week, Chris Duncan. Even Rick Ankiel's meteoric rise couldn't offset disaster. Not much can be done when Albert Pujols, St. Louis' best player, is playing on one leg and the staff ace blows out his elbow after one start.

And the outlook for 2008 is not much rosier. It's doubtful that Carpenter will pitch before August, and unless Rolen and Pujols make full recoveries, we will be forced to watch a repeat of the atrocious 2007 edition. Ownership must stop nursing off the success of 2006 and pump money into productive players who can help return the Cardinals to their recent former glory.

Like a prize fighter who doesn't know when to go down, the 2007 Cardinals are better off staying on the mat waiting for the count and ending a forgettable summer in St. Louis.

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Column: R.I.P. Redbirds

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